Abbott Government decisions on solar power to impact on pensioners

O

n cold days Mal Owen is happy to run an electric heater in the bathroom, and doesn't worry about the cost.

Nicole Hasham - 
considers the impact
of solar cuts on
pensioners.

The pensioner draws on the sun's energy to run an electric clothes dryer during the day, and in a decade is expected to save more than $400 a year on his electricity bills.

"I've always wanted solar but I couldn't afford the outlay," said Mr Owen, 77, of Thornbury in Melbourne.

"The local council offered to cover the installation and let me pay it off through the rates over 10 years. So it worked out very nicely for me."

But a controversial Abbott government move means thousands of other low- and middle-income Australians may not see the same benefits.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story in the Sydney Morning Herald - “Solar subsidies: Pensioners could miss out on lower power bills after Abbott government solar cuts”